Jigsaw of 'stans

This is the stunning Charvak Reservoir in Uzbekistan. With the snow-capped Chatkal Mountains in the background along the Uzbek-Kazakhstan border. With possibly a bit of Kyrgyzstan showing on the right.

Confused? Well that is what Stalin wanted us all to be when he created the bizarre boundaries of Central Asia, designed to split the various ethnic groups of the region and make sure they couldn't form entities strong and unified enough to become strong power bases.

Even Stalin couldn't mess with the beauty of this place.